


Deja Vu

by ThatSnarkyDragon



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Ever - Freeform, F/F, Friendship, Gen, Other, Queerplatonic Relationships, Reader has depression, Reader is asexual, Suicide mentions, all the monsters are asexual, but reader does kind of take frisk's place?, gaster shenanigans probably, looooooots of headcanons, lots of headcanons, panic attacks tw, papyrus is aromantic, papyrus is the best friend, qpp, qpr, queerplatonic, reader has anxiety, reader is disabled, reader is nb, reader isn't frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-18 19:27:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8173141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatSnarkyDragon/pseuds/ThatSnarkyDragon
Summary: Can something smell golden?You wake up in a bed of flowers in the middle of a cave, without any clue how you got there or really anything else. All you know is that your legs hurt and you can't remember anything and there's a talking flower and you're getting serious deja vu.





	1. Chapter 1

_Can something smell golden?_

You aren’t sure. But whatever it is, it smells like sunshine and flowers and… gold. It feels like flowers, too. A whole bed of them, laying under and around you.

You open your eyes, squinting at the distant light. A perfectly round hole in the tall ceiling of the room (cave?) you’re in illuminates the thing – the bed of flowers, you were right – surrounding you. They were a golden yellow, matching their smell and the distant sunlight peeking through the hole. Such cheerful flowers contrasted with the dull cool grey stone of the cave around you – the only colors to be seen, in fact, were on the flowers.

You sit up, wincing at an odd pain in your legs and back. It takes altogether too much effort to move even that much. A word pops into your mind.

_Fibromyalgia._

You’re not sure what it means, or if it has to do with anything at all, but you push yourself all the way to your feet despite the pain and effort. A dull burning sensation in your legs remains after you’ve steadied yourself, but you ignore the discomfort as you look around. The cave extends about ten feet in every direction around you, except for one; a tunnel reaches to your left, long enough that you can’t see the end. Unsure of anything else to do, you cast one last glance to the hole above you and start walking.

The pain in your legs makes walking at all unpleasant, but you don’t get far before you come across a patch of grass – another splash of color in the otherwise grey passageway. In the center of the grass sits a flower, another golden one, but this time with a cheerfully grinning face.

“Howdy!” it says, its voice chipper. “I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower!”

You freeze, your heart beating faster as a jolt of terror hits you. An eerie sense of déjà vu comes over you – not so much as if you had met this flower before, not literally. More like recognizing an actor from a different show, or remembering someone from a dream. Whatever that feeling came from, along with it came an awful dread, as if something horrible were about to happen.

“Gee, you look a little pale…” The flower’s face takes on a sort of concerned expression, but his voice doesn’t lose its cheerful quality. “You must be new to the Underground, arent’cha? Golly, I bet it is pretty scary to fall down here!”

Unsure what to say, you just stare. The flower’s expression morphs into a more offended one.

“Hey, it’s rude to stare,” he snaps. Immediately, he corrects himself, and the friendly face returns. “Well, if you’re gonna be stuck down here, I guess I better teach you some manners, er, how things work down here.”

_Stuck down here?_ You shiver as you process those words, but it isn’t long before you’re torn from your thoughts as you feel something ripped from your chest. It’s not exactly painful, more like an uncomfortable, suffocating sensation. An indigo glow lights up the dim tunnel as something appears in front of your chest – a multi-colored, glowing heart. It’s mostly blue and purple; and fuzzy around the edges, like a ghost or a light seen through water. The light flickers in a pattern you recognize to be your heartbeat.

“This is your SOUL,” Flowey explains. You reach out to touch it, feeling a warm jolt as your hand meets the blurry edge. “the very culmination of your being!” Fear rushes through you as you reach out to grab your SOUL with both hands, pulling it close to your chest. It doesn’t go back inside, though, and you briefly panic that it won’t, ever.

“Your soul starts off weak,” Flowey continues, “but can grow stronger if you gain a lot of LV.” You almost get the courage up to ask what LV was, or what it stood for, but Flowey continues before you can – “What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!” As innocent as the word sounds, the feeling of dread only increases and your heart beats faster, as does your soul. “You want some LOVE, don’tcha?” You weren’t so sure. “Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you.” He winks and sticks his tongue out in an expression that, on most people, would be goofy – but on the flower, right now, it was only increasing your terror.

If you weren’t already frightened enough, big white seed-like shapes, about the size of your big toe, appeared around the flower. Your stomach turned over and suddenly, you felt either about to vomit or pass out. “Down here, LOVE is shared through little white ‘friendliness pellets’!” Flowey exclaimed. “Move around! Get as many as you can.” Slowly, the seeds move through the air, towards your soul. Not altogether of your own accord, you dodge them last minute and the seeds crash harmlessly into the wall, making an odd, crackling sort of crashing sound. Flowey’s expression turns annoyed.

“Hey, pal,” the way he says the words gives you the distinct impression that he doesn’t actually think of you in any remotely friendly matter. “You missed ‘em. You blind as well as dumb?”

Despite your fear, you manage to be a little offended at his assumption – and the tone it carried. What would it matter if you were, anyway? You managed to muster up a glare, but still no words come.

“Well, it’s alright,” Flowey continues, a sickly sweet tone entering his voice – no, that was the chipper sound from before. You hadn’t noticed how fake it sounded at first. “You can always try again.”

More seeds appeared, about twice as many as before, moving much faster. You try to dodge these too, the sick feeling in your gut and the dread in your SOUL combining to motivate you even more. Unfortunately, you must have missed the direction of a few of them, because as you step back, you feel a cold, shooting pain in your chest. One of the seeds had hit you with another loud, static _BANG_. You double over, clutching your SOUL close to your heart. (Or was your SOUL your heart? You weren’t sure, but you didn’t think it could survive outside your body for that long if it were. And it didn’t look like a _real_ heart, either.)

When you look back up, Flowey has a wide, toothy grin on his face. “You IDIOT,” he cackles, “in this world, it’s kill or BE killed!” Another dose of déjà vu hits you, and your fear skyrockets. “Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?” His wide grin shrinks to a creepy, close-mouthed smile as he says, giddily, “ **die**.”

Seeds appear, surrounding you from every side. As they close in on you, and your SOUL, you shrink in on yourself, willing yourself to become smaller somehow, to avoid the incoming seeds. They’re moving agonizingly slow, and you drop your soul to cover your ears as you hear Flowey laughing manically.

Suddenly, the ground shakes. You stumble and fall, hearing a muffled _BANG_ through your hands. You look up to see a pointed lack of seeds around you and a shocked expression on Flowey’s face. Immediately, a ball of white fire comes seemingly out of nowhere, striking him and knocking him… you aren’t sure where. But he’s gone now, and someone else is approaching. You reach for your SOUL again, trying to shield it from whoever is coming.

“Don’t worry, my child,” a soft, soothing voice says, “you are safe now.” You look up to see a tall, white-furred… goat monster? She – you get the feeling that this person is a woman, though you don’t exactly recognize them. (Except for that strange feeling again, like you _did,_ but you can’t for the life of you think of how or where or when you would have ever met them before.) This person, though, has a calming presence. You feel your heart rate begin to slow along with the flickering of your SOUL, your fear subsiding along with – you realize, suddenly – the pain in your chest, which has all but vanished.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth!” As she speaks, she reaches out a hand – paw? – towards you. Keeping one hand around your SOUL, you take it. She pulls you upright and steadies you as you stumble. Your legs protest to being used again, and your knees begin to hurt – a sharp, hot pain made infinitely worse by the pressure on them. You wince and the goat monster looks concerned.

“Are you alright, my child? I did try to heal you; did I perhaps miss something?”

“I don’t… think so?” you answer honestly. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure, my dear.”

Now that you’re upright, you notice that the woman is very, very tall. Taller than previously thought. You’re not short, but she towers over you. This isn’t uncomfortable – in fact, her towering presence becomes more comforting by the moment. She saved you from a freaky demon flower, at least; that had to count for something.

“Do not be afraid, my child,” she says softly, laying one huge hand-paw on your shoulder. “I am – “

“Toriel,” you say suddenly. You’re not sure where the name came from, but you immediately feel embarrassed for interrupting.

“Child, have we met?” she asks, confused.

To be honest, so were you. You feel your face heating up and both hands gripping your SOUL, which makes your body feel pressed from every side. “I don’t… think so.”

“Well…” Toriel gazes at you for a moment, then smiles. “No matter. I am the caretaker of the Ruins, so I’m… rather well known around here, I suppose. Perhaps that wretched creature mentioned me.”

He hadn’t, but you keep your mouth shut and shrug vaguely.

“I pass through this area every day to see if anyone has fallen down here,” Toriel continues. “It was lucky I came when I did. If I had been here even moments later, I fear that something terrible might have happened.”

You are pretty damn certain something would have happened. Maybe a dying sort of thing. Probably a dying sort of thing.

“You are the first human to come here in a very long time…” she trails off, her voice taking on a wistful note. “Come! I will guide you through the catacombs.”

You shiver at the word “catacombs,” but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“This way,” she says, walking in the same direction you had been going previously.  You begin to follow her, noticing as you do that your soul is pushing itself towards your chest. You open your hands and watch, fascinated, as it floats back into your chest with the same odd, suffocating feeling as when it had left. No longer worried about your soul up and floating away, you shove your hands into your pockets and continue following Toriel.

Between your height difference and the pain in your legs, you were significantly slower than her. You tried lengthening your strides, and pushing aside the pain to move faster, but it wasn’t very effective, merely worsening the sharp pain in your knees and introducing another, new one in your left hip. Joy.

Toriel stops, seeming to notice your straggling.

“Are you alright, my child? Should I slow down?”

You bite your lip, hesitant to answer either way. There’s no way you can continue at this pace, but you’re not really sure what’s going on – with anything. Finally, you reply, “that might be good. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry…” Toriel says, and then gasps. “Oh, dear, I never did ask your name!”

For a moment, you draw a blank, but soon it pops into your head and you tell her.

She smiles. “What a lovely name.” Then, she turns back around and continues, this time at a slower pace, glancing back at you occasionally. It’s not much longer before the two of you pass through an archway and suddenly, there’s color. The walls and floors of this room are a deep purple – and it is more of a room than a cave, this time, with smoother walls and clear architecture to it. The only things that aren’t purple in this room are red leaves, neatly laid in patterns and piles around the room, and pair of green vines hanging around the far door. Wait, no – there’s a sparkle of something gold, too, hidden in a pile of red leaves between the twin flights of stairs. As Toriel climbs the stairs and waits at the doorway, you curiously investigate the sparkle. As you find it to be just that – a sparkle, an illusion – the shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.

Another rush of déjà vu, too.

Having at least found what the gold thing was, sort of, you move to climb the stairs to get to Toriel, who is still patiently standing at the top. Your stomach turns as you stand at the foot of them, but you push forward.

The stairs are hard, and you have to put significant effort into climbing them steadily, without any handrails to help you. As you reach the top, frustratingly out of breath and in still more pain, Toriel looks on, concerned.

She calls your name. “Are you sure you’re all right, my child? Do you need help?”

“I’m not sure,” you reply honestly. You don’t know what’s going on, or why it was so hard (you feel like it shouldn’t have been). In fact, the more you think about it, the less you realize you do know.

“Take my hand, dear,” Toriel offers, reaching for you. “Lean on me, if you need to. I understand if you are unwell.”

Are you? You’re not sure. You take her offer anyway, taking her giant hand-paw as the two of you continue onward.

As you go through the next doorway, into another purple room with an odd series of silver buttons on the ground, Toriel smiles down at you. “Welcome to your new home,” she says. You feel a thrill, but at the same time you are confused. Were you going to be here forever? You aren’t sure where you _were_ supposed to be, but…

“Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins,” Toriel continues, dropping your hand for a moment to walk over some of the buttons quickly and flipping a switch next to the door on the far wall. The door slides open, and she turns back to you. “The ruins are full of puzzles,” she explains, “ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them.”

You look at the puzzle, then at the sign on the wall. You realize that the sign holds a clue for the puzzle. Given the puzzle on your own, you probably could have solved it. You nod to Toriel, and she holds out her hand again with a smile.

You walk to her and take it as she leads you into the next room, which is more of a short hallway. Along the walls are hanging vines, and there are somehow rivers crossing the hallway. Wooden bridges provide a way across each one, though, so you aren’t concerned – merely curious.

“To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. They’re marked, so it’s not much of a challenge… but they don’t really need to be. Are you…” Toriel looks down at you. “There is a while yet to walk. Do you want to rest before we trigger the switches and move on?”

You realize suddenly how heavily you are leaning on the furry monster. You try to shift your weight off of her and nearly fall over as dizziness strikes. She seems notice, wrapping one arm around your shoulders to steady you.

“Oh, dear… here, child. I am not sure you should be walking at all if you are so weak…”

You almost give a snarky reply, but you bite it back before you can. You’re not sure why her words made you so… angry? Bitter? But you can tell that Toriel is only worried, and you take a deep breath to calm yourself. “I’m… alright. I think?” You mutter, standing a little straighter.

“I am not so sure,” Toriel says, a note of scolding in her voice. “Do you need something to eat, perhaps? Or some water?”

You aren’t sure, so you merely shrug in response.

“Alright…” Toriel sighs. “Let us sit a while. Perhaps after a rest it will be easier for you to continue.”

She leads you to the first bridge, which stands couple of feet above the water, level with the ground. Carefully, she lowers you to sit at the edge. Your feet touch the water, and you lean down to take off your shoes and socks on a whim, submerging your bare feet in the river. Toriel sits beside you, her own legs tucked underneath her.

She turns to you and says your name. “Many humans have fallen down here, but you are much larger than them. Am I mistaken in assuming you are a child like the others?”

That would explain the odd way she continued to address you. Though you are still confused and can’t seem to remember much, you do know that you’re not a child. You tell her as much.

Toriel hums. “I assumed you were, because of the stripes. I suppose, then, that’s not the same for humans?”

You don’t really understand what she’s talking about, so you shrug and look down at the river below. Toriel doesn’t say anything else, so the two of you sit in slightly awkward silence for several minutes. The water around your feet is soothing, and somehow reduces the pain in your legs. You let out a content sigh, slouching as you gently swing your legs.

“Toriel,” you say suddenly, still staring down, “where, exactly… are we? I mean, I don’t… remember. Anything? About how I got here or where I am or…” Your breath catches in your throat and tears well up in your eyes. Glancing away from the monster beside you, you rub at your eyes with your sweater. Oh – you hadn’t realized before, but it’s striped. So that’s what Toriel was talking about.

“Oh…” Toriel gasps. “My child –,” she corrects herself, saying your name. “You don’t remember? Perhaps you were more hurt when you fell than I thought. This… the Ruins… is a part of the Underground. There is only one entrance, as far as I know, and that is above the flowers you landed in. You must have fallen here from aboveground.”

You don’t look at her as you consider her response. You had gathered about that much – that you had fallen, at least. “How… I mean, I don’t think there are… people… like you aboveground.” You aren’t sure what to call her, she’s clearly not human. “Monster” was the first word that popped into your head, but that just sounded rude… “furry” was the next idea, and you aren’t exactly sure what that meant as a noun. Not that you are sure of much of anything right now. You’re not even sure if there _aren’t_ creatures like Toriel aboveground. The whole memory thing isn’t exactly working for you at the moment.

“Oh, there aren’t monsters aboveground. We’re all trapped here,” Toriel responds matter-of-factly, though there’s a hint of sadness in her voice, hidden behind her kind demeanor. “I suppose it has been a long time. I wouldn’t be surprised if humans… forgot.”

An odd sort of guilt fills your stomach, and suddenly you feel sick. Could people have forgotten about what seems to be an entire race, if Toriel’s “we” is any indication? A voice in the back of your mind whispers _yes._ Though you can’t exactly remember, you get the feeling that it wouldn’t be the first time humans had messed up.

“Um… how did you get trapped here?” you ask, dread piling on top of the guilt.

“Ah… you don’t know, then. There was… a war a long time ago. We lost, and were trapped here.” She doesn’t seem keen on talking about it any longer. Honestly, you don’t want to either, especially as you get the strange feeling that you’ve heard this story before.

After a few moments of silence, you pull your feet out of the water and immediately regret it. You push onward, though, pulling on your socks and shoes and pushing yourself up.

“You’re ready to continue, then?”

You nod, and Toriel stands and takes your hand again, leading you down the hallway. She triggers two marked switches on the walls, and sharp-looking spikes in the doorway ahead sink into the floor with a loud grinding sound. You warily step over the holes they leave in their absence and enter the next corridor. Toriel continues, past a dilapidated training dummy and through the next doorway. She glances at you occasionally, and slows when you lean on her more heavily. You press on, though, through a long corridor and over another puzzle that Toriel leads you through (it makes you very nervous to watch the sharp spikes lower and rise around you, but you manage to keep it together). Beyond that puzzle is another, even longer corridor, and more beyond. Toriel leads you through the puzzles and solves them quickly, for which you are grateful as you feel your legs complaining beneath you. Along the way, you are occasionally stopped by other monsters stopping you to talk to Toriel or make odd noises at you (at one point, you come upon a shy ghost who hurriedly mutters an apology before vanishing out of the way), but you finally arrive in a short corridor holding a bare tree surrounded by red leaves and a tidy little house.

“Here we are,” Toriel announces, opening the door and leading you inside. “You should probably sit. Here, please come this way.”

You welcome the opportunity and plop down into the huge, soft chair she points out to you. You sigh deeply, relaxing into the cushions. “Thank you.”

“It is no problem, my child,” she replies gently, eying you with concern. “Do you need anything? Food or water? Oh!” she turns away, towards the empty fireplace in the wall, and waves a giant paw. Warm orange flames spring up inside of it, startling you. “Oh, I did not mean to frighten you, but the warmth may help. Ah… right. What can I do?”

You try to think of something that might help the pain, but nothing comes up. “Um… I guess some food would be nice,” you admit, “if it’s not a bother.”

“Do not worry about that. It’s really no problem. Though I may have to run some errands, I am not sure how much food is in the fridge…” she says as she leaves through a door behind the chair – presumably into the kitchen. It isn’t long before she returns, holding a brand name candy bar.

“I apologize,” she says, “but this is about all I have right now. If you are alright alone, I can go get more food… in fact, I must. I had intended to after checking the g- ah, the entrance to the ruins,” she stumbles over the words. “But, well… anyway, will you be alright alone here for a while? You can stay here and read, or there is a bed you can sleep in down the hall… though it is built for a child, so you may not fit…”

“Thank you,” you reply sincerely. Your heart – SOUL? – fills with warmth at her kindness as you accept the candy bar. “I will be fine here. And honestly, lying down would be great.”

Toriel smiles down at you. “Well, then. Do you need assistance? It is the first door in the hall past the stairs. Ah- I must ask that you do not venture downstairs before I return. Please just rest.”

“I’ll be fine,” you assure her, “thank you.”

“Alright, then – oh! Here, I have a spare cell phone. If anything happens call me. I don’t want you to get any more hurt.” She hands you an archaic phone that looks more like a hinged grey brick than anything else and, with one last motherly smile, turns and leaves.

You make short work of the chocolate bar and limp out into the hall, to the first door, and over to the bed. You promptly collapse into it and almost immediately fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are graphic depictions of anxiety/panic attacks in this chapter. It is important for the plot, though, so I'll put a quick summary at the end of the chapter. Sorry!

You wake up to a delicious smell. Upon further investigation, without actually moving or opening your eyes, you distinguish the scent of butterscotch and cinnamon. You get the feeling that whatever is creating the delicious smell is a pie. Your stomach grumbles and you give up on lying in bed forever.

Your legs disagree, complaining very painfully about the pressure of standing. You push past it with a sigh, limping out of the bedroom and down the hall, past the living room, into the kitchen.

Toriel is standing there over a pie – smell source confirmed – and as you enter the room, she turns to greet you with a smile. “My child, are you feeling any better?” she asks.

You grimace and shake your head, and her smile falters.

“Oh, that is too bad. Perhaps some homemade pie will help. You do not have any allergies, do you?”

You don’t remember any, and you tell her as much.

She nods and places a slice of pie each on two plates. “Let us go to the table to eat,” she says. “Oh – do wash your hands first.” She nods towards the sink behind her.

You go to do as she says, noticing a lot of white fur in the drain. You aren’t particularly surprised. After washing your hands, you move to sit with Toriel at the table. She places one plate of pie in front of you, which you immediately dig into. That name brand chocolate bar, as delicious as it was, isn’t helping much with your hunger any more.

The moment the first bite of pie is in your mouth, you’re in heaven.

The pie tastes like butterscotch and cinnamon and a tingly, delicious taste that can only be described as magic. It melts in your mouth – literally – dissolving before you even swallow. Immediately you feel rejuvenated – the nap helped a little, but the pie is working miracles. The pain in your legs feels more distant, now, and you feel a smile come to your face.

“Do you like it?” Toriel asks sweetly. You nod vigorously in reply and continue devouring the miraculous pie. Toriel giggles.

As you eat, the pain dulls more, until you can almost ignore it. Whether it’s the pie itself or weird monster magic or something psychological, you don’t know. And, honestly, you don’t really care.

Sadly, the slice is gone far too quickly. You almost ask for another, but you decide against it – you don’t want to take advantage of Toriel’s kindness, as she’s already offered you food and a bed to sleep in. Now…

“My child… do you remember anything more?”

Her question startles you, but as you try to think of a response, you realize it shouldn’t. If you had been more focused on your situation and less on the pie, you would have been asking it yourself.

“No… not really. I think…” you find yourself saying, “I feel like I should be remembering things. I get… this feeling. I’m…” as you say it, you realize it’s true – something you notice in the background, now, as you focus more on it – “hearing something, like music or – I don’t know. I’m sorry I’m not making sense…”

“Do not apologize, my child,” Toriel says, her voice low and gentle, “you are hurt. You seem to have lost your memories. Anyone in your situation would be confused and scared. You are handling this very well.” She reaches out one giant hand-paw and gently pats your head. “You can stay here as long as you need to, to recover your health and your memories.”

As she speaks, your heart (SOUL?) sink in your chest. “I can’t,” you say, entirely against your will. A freezing dagger pierces your SOUL next as you see Toriel’s expression – a strange mixture of shock, hurt, and an odd sort of sad nostalgia, as if she’s remembering the loss of a loved one.

(You’re not sure why that simile came to mind, but it’s accompanied by that now familiar feeling of déjà vu.)

“My child… where else can you go?”

Her response, though said softly and without malice, hurts. Now, along with a leaden guilt, you feel trapped – where else _can_ you go? An idea appears in your mind, and you ask –

“Isn’t there something beyond the ruins?”

You know the answer before you even finish the question. You _know_ there is, somehow – and for some reason you think of snow and evergreens, a long wooded corridor, and Christmas.

You realize soon that Toriel hasn’t responded. Her arm is outstretched, almost reaching for you, and she refuses to meet your eyes.

You look down at your empty plate as a sick feeling crawls up your throat. There is something beyond the ruins, and you don’t know why, but you _have_ to leave. That weight on your SOUL keeps feeling heavier, and the dull aching in your legs is making a comeback. On top of all the sick feelings, you begin to feel dizzy, as if the world is moving under you and leaving you behind. Something pricks behind your eyelids, and the light is suddenly much too bright. You fold your arms tightly, your nails digging into your arms. The sharp pain they leave feels to distant, as if you’re not really in your own body.

“I… I… don’t… I don’t…” your words come out stilted, empty. You don’t want to leave, but you _have_ to, and you’re afraid to say it. Your hands move of their own accord to grip the sides of your head now, probably too tightly, but you don’t feel it. You can’t breathe. It hurts. You don’t want to leave, but you _have_ to, you _have_ to –

You hear your name. Is it your name? Are you just imagining things? You can’t breathe. The light hurts.

“My child, please,” the voice is distant, but clearer now. “Are you alright? Please breathe, my child.” The voice says your name again. You can’t breathe. Everything hurts. You don’t want to leave, but you _have_ to, you don’t know why and it _hurts_ and –

Suddenly there are huge, soft, furry arms around you, lifting you up. You’re moving now, though not of your own accord. Up out of the chair, carried across the room, down into another chair. This one is bigger, softer, and you’re surrounded by soft, warm fur. There’s a crackling sort of feeling in the air – like static, but warmer. Gentle. Genuine. You choke on the air, but that crackling in the air is calming somehow. Everything hurts a little less, the light burns a little less, breathing is a little easier. You relax slightly and those furry arms loosen in response – still gently cradling you, but less restrictive. A sound, somewhere between a purr and a hum, fills your ears. It sounds sort of like a song, like a lullaby.

“My child,” that voice again. You are calm enough to recognize it, now. Mom – no, her name is Toriel. Now, though, more even than before, she feels like a mother.

You don’t realize it as you say it, but the words come more easily even the tears – “Mom?”

You didn’t notice the gentle rocking until it stopped, abruptly, as you spoke. Your heart pangs – this is the wrong time; these are the wrong words –

“Would that… make you happy?” Toriel’s voice wavers. “To call me… mother?”

That crackling feeling (you realize that’s not exactly what it is, now – more like a buzzing. A tactile humming that you feel with your soul – SOUL? – that fills you with peace) returns, along with the slow rocking. You find yourself easily answering the question as the panic subsides again – “yes,” you croak out, no louder than a whisper. Toriel seems to have heard easily, though, as you feel the humming intensify and her embrace tighten.

“If you leave… they – Asgore,” you shiver at the tone her voice takes saying the name. “will kill you.” You don’t know who this Asgore is – do you? – but you can’t help but fear them.

Despite the fear, that feeling is still there – the push to leave. Continue on. You’re unsure why, but you have to leave. You briefly worry that the panic will return, but that humming seems to be keeping it at bay. You force your tense muscles to relax, just a little.

“Please, my child,” you feel tears fall to your shoulder, crawling under your shirt and down your back. “You… you are so weak. You can hardly walk. Please stay with me. We can be happy here.”

For a brief moment, you allow yourself to humor her suggestion. You imagine sleeping in that little bed, eating cinnamon-butterscotch pie, wandering the ruins…

“I can’t,” you find yourself saying. “I want to stay, I want to stay with you, Mom – but I can’t. I – I d-don’t know w-why….” Your own tears begin to fall, slipping down your face to drop onto Toriel’s robe. You’re not panicking, this time – you can breathe – but you can’t stop the tears.

“Hush, my child…” a giant paw gently strokes your back as Toriel speaks. “I cannot…. I cannot tell you what to do. I cannot make you stay – I do not want to…” another sigh. “I do not want to hurt you, but I cannot protect you if you leave. I cannot leave the ruins… someone must watch for fallen humans and look over this place. But….”

There is a short, tense silence – saved only by the gentle buzzing in your SOUL.

“One more night?” Toriel asks, finally. “Will you stay for one more night? Rest, allow me to… make some arrangements.”

You’re not sure what she means, but you’re too tired to argue even if you wanted to. You nod weakly and she chuckles.

“Well,” she says, her voice steadier now, “I have some books we could read, or perhaps we could play a game? Though, I haven’t had sufficient company to pull those out for a while now…”

As she speaks, it strikes you how alone Toriel must be. There is no one else in the house, as far as you know, and the other monsters in the ruins don’t seem to be much for conversation. Guilt crawls up your back, reminding you painfully of the tears that had fallen there earlier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you couldn't or didn't read the panic attack, here's what you missed - reader feels like they have to continue past the ruins, but they don't want to and they don't understand why they need to. This leads to them panicking, Toriel calms and comforts them. Reader calls Toriel mom. They talk about Reader leaving. 
> 
> I'll make sure to put warnings and summaries whenever there's something potentially triggering, like a graphic panic attack. I got anxious even writing it, so I don't want to make anyone have to read it to enjoy the story.


	3. Chapter 3

You wake up in the little bed in the little bedroom in the little house in the ruins.

After a moment of confusion, you realize you must have fallen asleep in the chair last night as Toriel read to you. She must have carried you to bed when you dozed.

With a pang, you also realize that your one more night is up. You’re leaving today.

Tears prick at the edge of your eyes, threatening to start streaming. You blink them away and slowly push yourself upright and out of bed. As you open the door of the bedroom, you smell that glorious pie Toriel made yesterday, along with other delectable smells. You hear the crackling in the fireplace as you walk slowly down the hall, and feel that familiar buzzing in your SOUL.

“Ah! My child, you are awake!”

You meet Toriel’s warm, motherly gaze as you enter the living room. There are subtle shadows below her eyes, as if she hadn’t slept at all last night. She leans over the table to place a steaming hot tray of little pies down and claps her hands together, little flecks of flour flying off into a cloud around them.

“Now, you will need to keep your strength up,” she says, the mothering tone in her voice stronger than ever. “I have made you plenty of food, and I have packed you a few things – I know it may be a bit heavy, so you must take breaks! I also have something for you that may keep unfriendly monsters from hurting you – it should be comfortable as well. It will probably be a bit big for you, but I hemmed the bottom so it should not get in your way. And – “

You cut her off as you rush past the table to grab her in a tight hug. She stiffens momentarily, and then her arms encircle you. That warm buzzing in your SOUL is a comfort, so you manage to hold back tears as you say, softly, “thank you.”

“Of course, my child,” Toriel replies, her voice wavering slightly, “I only wish I could do more.”

You stand there together for a silent moment, and then Toriel releases you and steps back.

“Now, let me go get what I have prepared. How about you go sit down and eat something?”

You follow her advice, plopping down in a chair at the table and taking one of the little pies. It smells divine, like spiced meats and herbs. Biting into it, the flavor is indescribable – as incredible as the cinnamon butterscotch pie from the previous day, but completely different – more savory, with many more individual flavors.

You only make it through one little pastry before Toriel returns, her arms laden with a heap of cloth.

“Here,” she begins, dropping the items on the armchair and taking something from the top of the pile, “try this on. It should fit fine over what you are wearing – and it should help keep you warm as well.”

The thing she hands to you is made of soft silken cloth, and you realize it is almost identical to the robe Toriel wears, down to the symbol on the chest. This one is shorter, though, and a wide, untied ribbon is sewn to the back. You stand up to throw it on, almost drowning in the huge garment for a moment before managing to get your arms and head through the holes. The sleeves are far too long, but the robe is just long enough to hang around your ankles. It’s very loose, too, but Toriel reaches forward to tie the ribbon around your waist, fitting the robe somewhat to your body.

“Let me just hem the sleeves, and then everything should be out of your way. Is it comfortable?” she asks, reaching into a pocket on her own robe to take out a needle and thread.

“Yes, it is. Thanks Mom,” you reply honestly. The fabric is incredibly soft, and it doesn’t overheat you, even with the fire still crackling warmly in the fireplace.

Toriel smiles as she begins to sew, needle quickly darting in and out, but never pricking you. She works with practiced ease. “I am glad. The first place you will see is rather cold, so this should keep you warm, but it should not be too hot later on. It should also keep wary monsters from hurting you, since you will be bearing our crest.”

You realize that she is talking about the odd symbol on the front of the robe, which feels like it should remind you of something. You shake off the déjà vu, now rather exasperated with your failing memory.

Toriel makes quick work of the sleeves, and soon they are just long enough to pass the long sleeves of your sweater without getting to much in the way.

“Now!” Toriel continues, stowing the needle and thread back in her pockets, “I have also packed a warm hat in case your head gets cold. And that phone I left with you earlier – if you feel lonely or need any advice, please call me! I did try to pack light, but the food will be taking up some space… and there is a bit of gold in case you need to buy anything, or if you run out of food. I also – “

“Thank you,” you interrupt, smiling at her. Your legs are beginning to ache beneath you, and you shakily sit back down. She smiles back, her eyes watering.

“Please, my child,” she says, “stay safe.”

“I’ll try,” you reply with as much sincerity as possible.

She reaches for your hands and takes them in her own. Hers practically dwarf your own, and the warm fur covering them tickles your skin.

“I do not know why you must leave,” she whispers, and you feel the buzzing in your SOUL strengthen. It feels almost musical, like a gently humming lullaby. “But if you must, I will not stop you. Just… be careful.”

You only nod in response.

“I have a friend beyond the ruins who will be… looking out for you,” she adds. “He is… a bit of a joker.” She chuckles. “But I trust him.”

You nod again, your heart swelling as you realize how much Toriel has done for you. Thankful, happy tears prick at the corners of your eyes – a welcome change.

“Thank you,” you say, your voice cracking.

“You are welcome, my child.”

You sit there together for a moment as you steel yourself. Finally, you remove your hands from Toriel’s to push yourself up.

“I should go,” you say, “before I lose momentum.”

Toriel giggles and nods. “That would be unfortunate. Follow me, I shall lead you to the exit.”

You slip one hand back in hers and walk with her to a staircase that spirals down into what you presume is the basement of the little house. You lean onto the railing as you descend, trying to keep some of the weight off of your aching legs. The staircase is longer than you expected, spiraling down for what feels like sever flights. Finally, you reach the bottom – a long, dim corridor. Toriel’s grip on your hand tightens as you continue down.

Several minutes pass, and finally, you arrive at a tall, foreboding door.

“Well,” Toriel says, breaking the silence, “this is the exit from the ruins.” She turns to look at you, and you realize she is crying, tears dripping into the fur on her face. She smiles despite them, and you find yourself grabbing her in a hug once more.

“I don’t want to leave,” you whisper into her fur. Somehow she hears you, though, and her grip tightens.

“I know, my child,” she replies, “I know.” She then pulls back, hands on your shoulders as she gives you a warm look. “If you can… you are welcome to return. Simply call me and I will come to let you in.”

An odd sense of relief washes over you as she speaks. The idea of a safe place to return to fills you with an odd feeling you can’t quite place – sort of like that musical buzzing in your SOUL that you’ve come to associate with Toriel.

“Thanks, Mom,” you say, pouring all your gratitude into the simple phrase, hoping that she will understand just how much you appreciate what she has done.

“Oh, my child…” Toriel shakes her head, “you may not have been here for long, but… you know, I almost feel as if I know you well, as if you have been here with me for years.”

You sort of understand – that feeling that you _know_ Toriel, much more than is possible considering the short time you have been with her. And this feeling isn’t entirely new – that odd déjà vu you have felt since falling underground has been a constant companion.

A pang in your leg reminds you of what you are doing, and you close your eyes for a moment, steeling yourself.

“I should go,” you say, taking a deep breath. “I have to go,” you correct yourself, looking down to your feet.

“Well,” Toriel replies, dropping her arms. “I will not keep you any longer. Please… call me when you can.”

You nod, smiling at her. Toriel smiles back, then moves past you to push open the tall, somewhat foreboding door. A blast of cold air hits you, and your heart beats heavily as you catch a glimpse of a snowy forest.

“Goodbye, my child,” Toriel says, her voice soft.

“Bye, Mom.”

Another deep breath, and you take a step forward. Another. Soon enough, you hear snow crunching beneath your feet and feel the cold air sting your ears. You fight the urge to turn around and run back long enough to hear the door shut behind you, confirming your choice.

You move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're out of the ruins... which means skelebros are soon to appear ;)  
> If you are desperate for skelebro feels in the meantime, please check out my zuke's fic here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6613108/chapters/15131140 - it's super super good :)


	4. Chapter Four

The trees stretch on for what seems like miles, but as you walk down the snow-covered path, it seems shorter. It isn’t long before you see, in the distance, some kind of gate.   
As you approach it, the cold biting at your nose and ears and stabbing at your aching legs, a loud snap behind you makes you freeze. Slowly, you turn to look for the source, and see a snapped branch – which you realized had not been snapped when you stepped over it – laying in the snow.   
An odd sense of dread mixed with déjà vu (once again) settles in your chest, right where you imagine your newly discovered SOUL to be, but you try to ignore it and press forward.  
It isn’t long before you arrive at the gate-like thing – which you realize now has bars far too wide apart to stop anyone from continuing – and you stop before it, considering.   
Suddenly, footsteps crunch the snow behind you. You don’t dare turn around, instead tensing as your gaze remains fixed, now in fear, on the odd gate.   
“hey,” a deep, odd voice greets from behind you. “don’t you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand.”  
After a moment of hesitation, you close your eyes and turn around, preparing for the worst. You hold out one hand, and you’re pretty certain it’s shaking.   
And odd hand takes yours and a loud sound rips through the forest.   
PTHBTPTHHHHHH  
Immediately, the apprehension vanishes and a laugh bubbles up in your throat. You don’t have the energy to bother trying to hold it back, so you let it out.  
“well, can’t say i don’t appreciate a good audience,” the voice chuckles.   
As you regain control of yourself, you notice the figure become clearer. A wide grin on a white face comes into view, and you realize that you are shaking hands with a skeleton.   
“name’s sans. sans the skeleton,” they say. Their mouth doesn’t move – the teeth don’t even open – but somehow the grin seems a little wider and the eyebrows – brow-bones? – raise. “hey, you’re a human, aren’t you? my bro loves humans.”  
You’re not really sure how to respond to that. Sans seems to take your silence as a cue to continue.   
“in fact, he wants to capture a human. he’d really get a kick out of seeing you.”   
Your stomach clenches uncomfortably. Getting captured doesn’t sound like a very appealing idea.   
“i'd really appreciate it if you’d humor him. he wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he’d really love to catch a human….?”  
You’re not really sure of how to respond. You’re not sure how, but for some reason this skeleton’s speech sounded like bad graphic design. And besides that, they are asking you to willingly get captured by their brother? As Sans stares at you, you shrink slightly.   
And then, without really realizing it, “Sure,” you reply.   
“cool,” Sans’ grin doesn’t change at all as he stares you down. The dots of white light in his sockets dart up behind you and back, almost unnoticeably fast. “hey, that’s my bro over there. you know what, why don’t you hide behind that conv- heh. hide behind that station, yeah?”   
You follow his pinpoint gaze to a dilapidated, snow-covered shelter that seems to be some kind of hot dog stand. As you hear distant, snow-crunching footsteps grow louder, you decide it’s best to follow the stranger’s advice and limp quickly over to the stand, darting behind it. You make it just in time, as the footsteps grow louder until they stop suddenly as you settle in the shelter. You notice a knothole in the wood and peek through it, seeing big boots and long bone legs.   
“sup bro,” you hear Sans say.   
“YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘SUP,’ BROTHER!” The new voice is loud, but more than that, it just sounds big. “IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T. RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?”  
“staring at my station. it’s pretty cool from the inside, too. wanna look?”  
Your stomach seems to have curled into the fetal position. So much for hiding.   
“NO!!!? I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?! I WANT TO BE READY!! I WILL BE THE ONE!! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, FRIEND?” I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.”  
And it just keeps getting worse. Sans wasn’t joking about the capturing thing. Your heart stops working for a moment.  
“hmm… maybe my station will help you.”  
“I HAVE MY OWN STATION????” You hear an annoyed groan. “AND IT IS MUCH! MUCH! CLEANER THAN YOURS. BESIDES, IF IT’S SO ‘COOL,’ WHY AREN’T YOU THERE YOURSELF?”  
“eh, i’m ok out here. ‘sides, i’m too lazy to move there now.”  
“EUGH. WELL I AM GOING TO GO GET BACK TO WORK – AS SHOULD YOU!”   
“sure thing, bro.”   
You hear an exasperated sigh and stomping footsteps that fade away as Sans says –   
“it’s safe.”   
You pull yourself upright, gripping the edge of the counter and heaving yourself up, hissing at the sharp pain in your knees as they crack and crunch under the pressure. You tilt for a moment before catching your balance and walking back out to Sans.   
“So… that’s your brother?” you ask, though it was rather obvious.   
“yeah. he’s so cool,” Sans stares down the path where his brother had probably gone. After a moment, he turns to face you, his eyes narrowing slightly as you get the distinct impression of someone seeing inside your head – no, not exactly; it’s not your thoughts – more like someone seeing inside you. Inside your SOUL.   
Can monsters do that?   
You shiver, and the odd feeling disappears. Must have been a chill or something,  
“Yeah…” you mutter, rubbing your arm awkwardly. “Um…”   
Sans continues to stare at you as you trail off, then chuckles. “you’re gonna freeze out here, kid,” he says.   
It was rather cold. The snow was starting to seep through your sneakers – though, how did it snow underground? – and your hands were rapidly stiffening in the chilly air. You pull them back into your robe’s sleeves and tuck them under your arms to warm them up.   
“Do… do you know somewhere warm I can go?”  
Sans blinks and his grin forces itself a little wider.   
“snowdin’s not that far,” he says, “just through this forest. there’s some puzzles and stuff out there, but the old lady probably warned you about th-“  
“Wait, you know Mom?” you blush as you realize you interrupted. And accidentally called Toriel “mom” in front of her friend. Is that ok? She did call you her child… you shake your head and continue. “Ah, sorry for interrupting. Um, I mean. Do you know Toriel?”   
Sans gives a short chuckle and a jerky half-nod towards the door to the ruins. “yeah, we’re door buddies. didn’t know who she really was ‘til she told me your situation. asked me to keep an eyesocket out for ya. but yeah, we’ve been talking for… a while.”   
So Sans is the guy Mom was talking about? You’re not sure how you feel about this. “Oh, okay….” You shiver. “So, th-th-that way?” You nod down the path in the direction you’d been going before.   
Sans raises an eyebrow at you. “yeah, and you better get a move on, or before long you’ll be frozen to the bone.”   
And with that, he winks and disappears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy heck im so sorry guys,, it's been. so long,   
> things have been mega crazy for me. i transferred schools, and then transferred schools again, some trauma went down, and now im trying to get a job and move out before my family moves, and im dealing with 60000 health issues, and im trying to make my career happen, and (screams)   
> how long has it even been? like 6 months??? i dont know im so sorry guys but i hope u enjoyed this chapter and ill be comin back with another one someday i hope   
> check out my tumblr blog gaydragon-tm, my art blog thatsnarkyartist on tumblr, and consider tipping/donating to me at https://ko-fi.com/A432BXF


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're going to freeze if you don't find Snowdin - snowed in? - soon.   
> Papyrus is there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i am. so sorry i haven't updated in like a year  
> things have been wild.   
> have a new chapter! i've been doing like nothing but writing fic for the past few days between applying for jobs, so i have Lots for ya.

It doesn’t take you long to get moving again – the air is far to cold, and it pierces through your shoes and clothes more every second you stay still. It’s the pain of walking or the pain of the cold, and one of those ends soon enough with warmth and food (you hope). You glance back at your hiding place and take a deep breath. You’ve gotten this far, you realize – only… well, you don’t know how much further you have to go, but you’re filled with determination.   
Unfortunately, determination doesn’t work as well as painkillers, and you’re left limping through ankle-deep snow to find… snowed in? Snowdin?   
Whatever your feelings were on snow before now, you’re not too keen on being snowed in for much longer.   
You make your way down the path, coming upon a fork in the road. A chest stands at the corner, along with a sign next to it. You ignore them both in favor of picking a random direction - left - and attempting to get to town as quickly as possible.   
Your bag is heavy on your back as you limp up the path. Luckily, no hostile monsters seem to be in your way - maybe the clothes Mom gave you are as helpful as she said. You catch glimpses of small creatures hiding in the bushes, though - unless that’s just your overactive imagination.  
All you find at the end of the path is a river and an abandoned fishing pole. You sigh, then turn back to take the other path.   
“SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE -“ the loud skeleton’s voice cuts off, and your heart stops. Your eyes had been fixed on the ground, trying to find the least snowy path to take, and you hadn’t realized that the two skeleton brothers were directly ahead. You look up, meeting eyes with the tall one.  
He’s wearing odd armor and a red scarf, along with thick red boots that you find yourself rather jealous of, as your toes have nearly frozen solid in your sneakers by now.   
An odd song starts playing in your chest - more upbeat than the one you felt with Toriel.  
Papyrus turns away to look at Sans, who turns to look at you. They nearly spin back and forth, looking between each other and you almost comically before they both turn away.   
“SANS!! OH MY GOD!! IS THAT…” Papyrus pauses dramatically. “A HUMAN???!!!???” They both turn back to you.   
“uhh…” Sans says, gazing past you. “actually, i think that’s a rock.”   
You turn around to face what Sans was looking at and - well, yes. There was a rock.   
“OH.” You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, relieved that somehow you seemed to have escaped whatever fate Papyrus had in store.   
“hey, what’s that in front of the rock?” Sans continues, and your chest sinks. Shit.   
“OH MY GOD!!!” Papyrus exclaims, “(IS… IS THAT A HUMAN?)” he seems to try to whisper to Sans, but it comes out just as loud as his normal speech.   
“(yes),” Sans half-whispers back. So much for his protection.   
“OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!!” Papyrus is ecstatic to have found you, it seems. “UNDYNE WILL… I’M GONNA… I’LL BE SO… POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!! POPULAR!!!” He pauses, glancing to the side. “…AHEM. HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA.”   
You sigh internally. Your feet ache from the damp cold.   
“I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL!” The capital sounds warmer than this, at least. “THEN…THEN!!!” He hesitates. “I’M NOT SURE WHAT’S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE!!!” And, with that, Papyrus turns and sprints off, laughing a strange laugh, leaving you with Sans.   
“well, that went well,” Sans says. “don’t sweat it, kid.” He winks. “i’ll keep an eye socket out for ya.” You’re not sure whether to believe him, but you remind yourself that if Toriel trusts this guy, you probably should too. Plus, that odd feeling of deja vu that has been plaguing you since you ended up down here seems to tell you he’s not a really bad guy.   
Sans finger-guns, turns, and wanders off. You stand there for a moment, too cold and achy to bother moving. After a moment, you manage to start stepping forward.   
You don’t make it far before your phone rings. The brick of a device doesn’t appear to have caller ID, so you assume it’s Toriel - who else would have the number?   
You answer.   
“U-uhh,” an unfamiliar (but yet familiar?) voice stutters out. “(Oh my god, help…),” they add in a whisper. “I’d like to order a… um… a pizza? With uhh… the toppings are, uh…”   
“I, uh, think you have the wrong number,” you interrupt softly. This doesn’t seem to register for the caller.   
“I have them copied,” they continue in a rush, “I’ll just paste them to you.”   
Your phone must be too old to receive texts, because immediately a robotic voice begins to read, character-by-character, something that sounds mysteriously like an ASCII art of an anime catgirl.   
As it finishes, the caller is silent. Then - click.   
Confused at the whole situation, you simply return the phone to your pocket and keep dragging your feet through the snow.   
There’s a cardboard box with some writing on it to your left, which you ignore in favor of finding warm, and finding it fast. You push your legs to move a little faster.   
There’s a sign to your left, further up the path, and another of those sentry stations. You walk cautiously past it, but a voice interrupts.   
“Did something move?” A gruff voice barks. You glance towards the sentry station, staying as still as possible, to see… a dog? Yep, a dog in a tank top. Okay then.   
“Was it my imagination?” The dog continues, “I can only see moving things… If something WAS moving… for example, a human - “ your chest tightens, “I’ll make sure it NEVER moves again.”   
Suddenly, you feel the singular sensation of being pulled out of your body. The world turns monochrome, except for a red glow surrounding you - not your body, no, you don’t seem to have much of a form at all. You try not to panic, and try not to move.   
The dog stands before you, holding two swords at odd angles, narrowed eyes moving back and forth. “Don’t move an inch,” he growls. You’re more than willing to oblige, freezing in place.   
You begin to regret that decision as a spectral blue sword begins moving towards you from the right. Unsure what to do, seeing no escape, you simply curl in on yourself and hope that -   
Huh. The sword passes right through you, disappearing to your left.   
You get the feeling that the dog can’t see you.   
You find yourself considering two options, and you’re not entirely sure why - you feel like you can find out more about the dog, or you can pet the dog.   
When in doubt, pet the dog.   
You aren’t sure quite how, without a body, but you close your eyes and reach out, patting the dog gently on the head. The dog begins barking wildly.   
“WHAT!” It shouts, “I’VE BEEN PET!!!”   
You shrink back and hold still, hoping he wouldn’t notice you again. Another sword comes towards you, and the dog just barks out “PET! POT! PAT!” As it phases through you once again.   
This is… easier than expected.   
You take a chance and reach out to pet the dog again, this time scratching behind its ears.   
“WHERE’S THAT COMING FROM!” It barks, sounding panicked now. Another sword comes towards you, and you hold as still as possible. After it passes, you try to find some way to leave - as funny as this situation seems, you still feel the cold distantly, and you don’t want to be trapped here forever.   
An option comes to mind, though you’re not quite sure what it means, and you think to spare the dog from further mysterious pets.   
The dog disappears, and your pockets feel suddenly heavier - you reach into them to find… gold?   
Speaking of pockets, you have them again - you’re back in your body.   
“S-s-s-something pet me,” the dog stutters, “Something that isn’t m-m-moving.” You feel a little bad for panicking the poor thing so much, but the thought of those swords alleviates the guilt a bit. “I’m gonna need some dog treats for this…” the dog mutters, sinking back down in its sentry station.  
You take a deep breath, then carefully move past the sentry stand and down the path. You pass some half-burned dog treats on the side of the path, and don’t bother trying to figure those out.   
Sans is apparently always ahead of you, as he now stands in front of an icy area. He waves.   
“hey, here’s something important to remember,” he says. You pause in front of him. “my brother has a very special attack. if you see a blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you.”   
“That explains it,” you mumble.   
“explains what?”   
You sigh. “Some dog attacked me back there with weird blue swords. If that’s how the attacks work, this makes sense.”   
Sans looks down at the crest on your robe, then back up to your face. “yeah, doggo probably didn’t see your robe. he’s nearly blind.”   
You nod, then look at the ice ahead.   
“well, lemme give you a good way to remember blue attacks,” Sans continues. “If you see a blue attack, just think of a stop sign.”   
“Stop signs are red,” you reply, confused.   
“well, imagine a blue stop sign.” He winks. “simple, right?”   
You stare at him for a moment, slightly amused, then shrug. “Sure.”   
You continue towards the icy area, carefully stepping on the ice with flat feet.   
Somehow, you slide all the way across the ice, whizzing past a sign in the middle. Once you regain your balance, you walk unsteadily down towards the next path.   
A dog in shining armor blocks your path.   
He must have noticed your robe, because everything’s still in full color. He simply stands there, panting, sword and shield in hand. He seems like a very good boy.   
The only thing you can think to do in this situation is Pet.   
You barely lift your hand and the dog is already excited. His neck seems longer, somehow. When you actually make contact, he goes crazy. His neck visibly lengthens, which is equal parts horrifying and hilarious. You retreat and walk slowly around the dog, who doesn’t try to follow you. You’re somewhat relieved.   
As you continue down the path, you see the skeleton brothers again. In front of them is a wide area with the snow swept away, like the path you have been following.   
They haven’t seemed to notice you yet, as Papyrus shouts, “YOU’RE SO LAZY! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!”   
You hold back a giggle.   
“i think that’s called… sleeping,” Sans responds, grinning wide.   
“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” Papyrus seems to notice you, then, and turns to face you, smiling widely. “OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES!”   
Unsure how to respond, you give a quick thumbs up, which has Papyrus beaming.   
“IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE…” he pauses for dramatic affect. “QUITE SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!”   
A cold wind blows as he speaks, and you shiver. The breeze is piercing right through your robe and the clothes beneath it.   
“WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE,” Papyrus continues, “THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!” He brandishes a blue orb, just small enough to fit in the palm of his gloved hand. “SOUND LIKE FUN??? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK.”   
That sounds about right to you, you think.   
“OK! YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW.” Papyrus announces.   
You’re not sure why he’s still holding the orb, but you figure there’s no other way to continue, so you hesitantly limp towards what you assume now is the maze.   
Immediately, the orb emits a loud buzzing and crackling electricity surrounds the taller skeleton. He seizes up, then stills as the buzzing ends. A little smoke seems to be rising from his shoulders.   
“SANS!!!” He exclaims, “WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!”   
“i think the human has to hold the orb,” sans says matter-of-factly.   
“OH. OKAY!”   
Papyrus makes his way through the maze, leaving convenient footprints behind him. He gently tosses the orb onto you head, where it lays nestled in your hair. “HOLD THIS PLEASE!” He shouts before turning and rushing back through the maze.   
You could drop the orb, you realize, but decide you might as well play along with the eccentric skeleton’s puzzle. You carefully limp through the maze, stepping exactly where Papyrus stepped. You manage to safely traverse the puzzle, and tip your head to drop the orb back into Papyrus’ hands.   
He’s gaping at you, eyes wide. “INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!!” He gasps. “YOU SOLVED IT EASILY…. TOO EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY!” He puts his hands on his hips dramatically. “IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS. YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM!” He gives his odd laugh again, then strides off down the path.   
Sans nods at you. “hey, thanks…my brother seems like he’s having fun.”  
“Um, no problem, I guess?” You sigh, unsure how to respond. It’s not like you signed up for this (though the tall, odd skeleton is becoming slightly more appealing and seeming slightly less terrifying as time goes on).   
“by the way,” Sans continues, “did you see that weird outfit he’s wearing? we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn’t worn anything else since… keeps calling it his ‘battle body’.” He glances down the path, where Papyrus disappeared. “isn’t my brother cool?”   
You aren’t quite sure whether to respond, so you just half-smile and mumble, “I should get going.”   
Sans nods, and you continue down the path.   
There’s what looks to be an ice-cream cart to your left - you’re not sure why there would be one, in the middle of a winter wonderland, but you just keep walking. Your legs are burning, at this point, except for your frozen feet. You wander past what looks like another puzzle, one with a huge snowball lying abandoned in it.   
Somehow, Sans is right there - just past the puzzle. You don’t remember him passing you, but he must have.   
“i’ve been thinking about selling treats too,” he muses, “want some fried snow? it’s just 5g.”   
“Um… I’m good,” you reply, unsure what to think of fried snow.   
“you’re right,” Sans says, “i should charge way more than that.”   
You giggle despite yourself, and when Sans doesn’t seem to have anything else to say, you move on down the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter, I know. I didn't have to do much work since we're still following the game, but i didn't want the chapter going on for too long. hopefully i will upload a new chapter soon?
> 
> ko-fi.com/briarpatcharts is helpful ^^ 
> 
> also, my qpp and i just released a podcast! it's called Fic Jokes and it's on soundcloud, apple podcasts, and stitcher. in our first episode, we start reading My Immortal!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have an update schedule, sorry. I'm super busy between school and everything, so I'll apologize in advance for any long waits.  
> Also, if you feel like supporting me I really appreciate kudos/bookmarks/shares/recs, and I also have a donate link: http://ko-fi.com/briarpatcharts if you feel like donating a little money to help me pay for rent/school/buy me a treat :) I really, really appreciate any support!


End file.
